# Another Blended Scotch thread



## boonedoggle (Jun 23, 2006)

I know there are a billion threads pertaining to Scotch, but I really want to seriously start dabbling in the arts more. I'm going to do more research on blended and see what I can find around the 12 to 18 year olds. I'll prolly end up with some JW Black or Green, but I might end up getting a bottle or two of something else to experiement, maybe Belvenie, Macallan, or Glenlivet. We shall see.:ss


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## Mr.Maduro (Aug 2, 2006)

*Re: Another Blended Scoth thread*

The Chivas Regal 18 year is pretty damn tasty too! :tu


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## macjoe53 (Jul 8, 2007)

Famous Grouse


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## rx2010 (Jan 4, 2007)

if you want to drink them non-mixed I would not go lower than green label on the JW's
JMO

I know it's pricey but the Gold Label is very very very good, especially from the freezer


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## billybarue (Mar 20, 2006)

Mr.Maduro said:


> The Chivas Regal 18 year is pretty damn tasty too! :tu


My preference :tu



macjoe53 said:


> Famous Grouse


Ain't bad for an "un-aged" scocth. I believe they do have a 12 year though.

The others besides the JW's you mentioned Jimmy are single-malts. I have said it before, but I think blends are largely overlooked in favor of the frenzy for single malts. From what I understand (complete hearsay), but I believe the majority of whiskey consumed by Scots themselves is blended.


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## macjoe53 (Jul 8, 2007)

Famous Grouse is supposed to be the #2 selling scotch in the United Kingdom. Some of it may not be available here in the states but it comes in various ages (10, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30 years old).


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## billybarue (Mar 20, 2006)

macjoe53 said:


> Famous Grouse is supposed to be the #2 selling scotch in the United Kingdom. Some of it may not be available here in the states but it comes in various ages (10, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30 years old).


Good info. I like it and know I have seen the 12 year bottle lately. Need to try it against my standard of Chivas. I brought back a couple local blends when I was over there that lead me to believe blends might very well be the preferred dram in Scotland. But like I say, I have no stats to back that up.


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## Sawyer (Jul 11, 2007)

boonedoggle said:


> maybe Belvenie, Macallan, or Glenlivet. We shall see.:ss


 I don't think these guys have a blended scotch.


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## rx2010 (Jan 4, 2007)

Sawyer said:


> I don't think these guys have a blended scotch.


nope, but macallans is excellent anyway (not a fan of the Glenlivet)


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## The Dakotan (Jun 4, 2007)

Dimple Pinch is a great blended and better than JW Black, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Johnny Black but "the dimple" is better. If you like the smokiness of JW black, you will love The Balvenie. It's my favorite single-malt 12 year. Also Glenlivit has a good 12 yr. that is affordable but not quite as smokey as the JW Black. I find the Glenlivit better with strong smokes. While I'm not a fan of Glenfidich, generally, their 15 year is very nice. 

Oh, and if you want to spend $100 on a bottle, you can't beat the The Balvenie's 17 yr. New Wood. It is amazing!


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## Sawyer (Jul 11, 2007)

rx2010 said:


> nope, but macallans is excellent anyway (not a fan of the Glenlivet)


The Macallan is great and the Balvenie Doublewood is also one of my favorites.

I agree with you on the Glenlivet. Someone needs to tell Galaxie XL(Richard) that there are better scotches though. It is his favorite.


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## macjoe53 (Jul 8, 2007)

Here's a link to practically all the information you would like about scotch whiskey:

http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/


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## boonedoggle (Jun 23, 2006)

soooo much to learn!


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## rx2010 (Jan 4, 2007)

boonedoggle said:


> soooo much to learn!


learning is fun, when the subject is scotch :tu

my favorite single malt is Glenfiddich 15 year, but the 12 year is good too


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## boonedoggle (Jun 23, 2006)

Good info here...

http://www.tastings.com/spirits/scotch.html


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

All of the JW's have their merit. Try the Green or if you get Gold, keep it in the freezer; that is JW recommends. Black is a good everyday scotch, while green is a good once a week scotch. If you want a light scotch to drink neat, try JW Swing. That bottle will be gone in no time.

I have a bottle of J&B Ultimo (or something like that), that was quite expensive and not worth it in my opinion. Has a velvety finished bottle, and someone gave to me last year for my birthday. This blend has too much going on and tastes like nothing; I think there's a 100 scotches in it.

I am also a fan of blended style scotches, but have not had enough of them to be an expert, except for the ones that I have had or own currently.


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## billybarue (Mar 20, 2006)

Almost forgot!! If you like Islays you need to try *'Black Bottle'*. It is a blend of all the Islay malts and up until a couple of years ago was only available in the UK. Lagavulin and Caol Ila are my favorite Islays. the 'Black Bottle' is not as "Peaty" as Lagavulin, but very refined and easy to drink. It is also very reasonably priced.

I talked about it and used to have pictures (a whole case) in this thread:
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=62051

Cheers,

BillyBarue


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## zonedar (Aug 2, 2006)

A bit high end, but if you ever see a bottle of Grant's Rare and Extraordinary 25 YO, grab it. It's the best blend I've found and they ain't making any more

-Zone


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## Benz_one (Mar 22, 2006)

macjoe53 said:


> Famous Grouse is supposed to be the #2 selling scotch in the United Kingdom. Some of it may not be available here in the states but it comes in various ages (10, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30 years old).


I'm a big fan of the Famous Grouse Gold Reserve. It's a 12 year old. Of the few blends that I have had, this is one of my favorites.

Good price too!


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

boonedoggle said:


> I know there are a billion threads pertaining to Scotch, but I really want to seriously start dabbling in the arts more. I'm going to do more research on blended and see what I can find around the 12 to 18 year olds. I'll prolly end up with some JW Black or Green, but I might end up getting a bottle or two of something else to experiement, maybe Belvenie, Macallan, or Glenlivet. We shall see.:ss


*In the price range, of about $25, for a 750ml bottle, there is no better blended scotch, in the world, than Johnnie Walker Black, period !!!!*


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## boonedoggle (Jun 23, 2006)

of course, being that I went today...they had an October sale on 750ML of JW Black for $19.99. It didn't matter, because they sold out. Seemed like they didn't have much blended selections...ended up getting DEWAR'S 12 YEAR OLD for $26.99. I have had it before and I do like it. I need to move out of my comfort zone...but maybe at another date...closer to Christmas maybe?! :tu


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

boonedoggle said:


> of course, being that I went today...they had an October sale on 750ML of JW Black for $19.99. It didn't matter, because they sold out. Seemed like they didn't have much blended selections...ended up getting DEWAR'S 12 YEAR OLD for $26.99. I have had it before and I do like it. I need to move out of my comfort zone...but maybe at another date...closer to Christmas maybe?! :tu


Dewar's 12 yo is also an excellent choice, as would be Teacher's Highland Cream! They are two other blended scotches, that I favor, in addition to JW Black.


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## kvm (Sep 7, 2005)

*Re: Another Blended Scoth thread*



Mr.Maduro said:


> The Chivas Regal 18 year is pretty damn tasty too! :tu


:tpd: Even the 12 is pretty good for the price.


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## beernut (Jul 27, 2007)

Why do you specify your interest as limited to blends, and not all Scotch, or single malts?



rx2010 said:


> if you want to drink them non-mixed I would not go lower than green label on the JW's


I have very little experience with JW, or blends in general, but as I understand it, the JW green, gold, and blue are the only JWs made of 100% malted barley. So the above statement is probably good advice.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

beernut said:


> Why do you specify your interest as limited to blends, and not all Scotch, or single malts?
> 
> I have very little experience with JW, or blends in general, but as I understand it, the JW green, gold, and blue are the only JWs made of 100% malted barley. So the above statement is probably good advice.


I do not know if the above is true or not, however, if you do an honest, blind, side by side taste test, of the JW Blends, most people will say that the black has the richest flavor profile and is more complex than all the others, with the exception of the Blue. However, the Blue, although more complex than all other JW Blends, has a very smooth, velvety & subtle flavor profile. As a result only a very small percentage of people who drink scotch can truly appreciate the Blue. Only 1/4 of all scotch drinkers have the pallet to appreciate the older and/or more complex, subtle flavor profiles. I am one of those that cannot, so the cost of the Blue is a waste of money for me! I am lucky enough to have been involved in two side by side taste test over a five year period, and the results were basically the same.


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## beernut (Jul 27, 2007)

JohnnyFlake said:


> I do not know if the above is true or not, however, if you do an honest, blind, side by side taste test, of the JW Blends, most people will say that the black has the richest flavor profile and is more complex than all the others, with the exception of the Blue. However, the Blue, although more complex than all other JW Blends, has a very smooth, velvety & subtle flavor profile. As a result only a very small percentage of people who drink scotch can truly appreciate the Blue. Only 1/4 of all scotch drinkers have the pallet to appreciate the older and/or more complex, subtle flavor profiles. I am one of those that cannot, so the cost of the Blue is a waste of money for me! I am lucky enough to have been involved in two side by side taste test over a five year period, and the results were basically the same.


I didn't mean to say that the rest of the JW blends were of poor quality. I now see that the black does in fact receive good ratings. As I said, I have very little experience with blended whisky. I merely wished to point out that, of the Johnnie Walker line, those three are all-malt blends, at least, I believe so.

I suppose I do hold a bias toward purity. I want my beer to be made of barley, not corn or rice. Tequila should be made from blue agave, not sugar cane. I want my Scotch whisky to be made from barley malt. I don't contend that a whisk(e)y blend containing other grains can't be a great dram, because indeed it can. But still, I am inclined to be more interested in the pure stuff, especially when so many are available.

Interestingly, I have the opportunity sample the entire JW line, at a dinner and Johnnie Walker tasting this week. I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend though. But I may be more experienced with JW, come next week. If nothing else, this conversation has peaked my curiosity, and I intend to sample the JW line next time I go out for Scotch. :tu


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

beernut said:


> I didn't mean to say that the rest of the JW blends were of poor quality. I now see that the black does in fact receive good ratings. As I said, I have very little experience with blended whisky. I merely wished to point out that, of the Johnnie Walker line, those three are all-malt blends, at least, I believe so.
> 
> I suppose I do hold a bias toward purity. I want my beer to be made of barley, not corn or rice. Tequila should be made from blue agave, not sugar cane. I want my Scotch whisky to be made from barley malt. I don't contend that a whisk(e)y blend containing other grains can't be a great dram, because indeed it can. But still, I am inclined to be more interested in the pure stuff, especially when so many are available.
> 
> Interestingly, I have the opportunity sample the entire JW line, at a dinner and Johnnie Walker tasting this week. I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend though. But I may be more experienced with JW, come next week. If nothing else, this conversation has peaked my curiosity, and I intend to sample the JW line next time I go out for Scotch. :tu


You won't be sorry for trying the JW offering. As I said before, they are my favorite with respect to blended scotch. However, I do prefer single malts for the most part, Aberlour, Springbank, Glenlivet & MacCallan being my favorite houses.

Yes, Tequila must be 100% pure guava, how could anyone drink it any other way?


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## Galaxie_xl (Oct 21, 2007)

Sawyer said:


> The Macallan is great and the Balvenie Doublewood is also one of my favorites.
> 
> I agree with you on the Glenlivet. Someone needs to tell Galaxie XL(Richard) that there are better scotches though. It is his favorite.


Is someone talkin' bad about my Glen? I love the earthy flavor and for the price it doesn't get any better (I'm not rich like the rest of you guys:tu). Wherever you go, be it dive bar or fine spirits establishment my faithful Glenlivet is there!


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## ATLHARP (May 3, 2005)

Two Words: John Barr

John Barr scotch (if you can get it) is a budget line of blended scotches that taste phenomenal. I would advise trying out their black or gold labels first, and move up to their Blue label. Typically the gold 750ml sells for for $12.99 here. Dirt cheap, but really nice.

ATL


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## awsmith4 (Jun 5, 2007)

I am obviously a fan of The Balvenie, but as far as blended scotch goes Dewars and JW Blue are pretty good IMHO.


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## Silound (May 22, 2007)

Haig Pinch.

Great everyday scotch.


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